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ECTFE Membrane Fabrication Using Green Binary Diluents TEGDA/TOTM and Its Performance in Membrane Condenser.
Songhong Yu1,2,3, Yu Huang1,2,3, Lixun Zhang1,2,3
1State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
Membranes
|August 25, 2022
Summary
Poly(ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (ECTFE) membranes show promise for water recovery from humid gases. Optimizing diluent composition and cooling rates enhances pore size and water recovery in membrane condensation processes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Hydrophobic membranes are crucial for water recovery from high-humidity gases via membrane condensation (MC).
- Poly(ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (ECTFE) is a promising hydrophobic material for MC applications.
- Developing efficient and sustainable methods for preparing ECTFE membranes is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare ECTFE membranes using environmentally friendly diluents via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS).
- To investigate the influence of diluent composition and cooling rate on membrane structure and properties.
- To evaluate the water recovery performance of ECTFE membranes in the MC process.
Main Methods:
- ECTFE membranes were fabricated using TIPS with green binary diluents: triglyceride diacetate (TEGDA) and trioctyl trimellitate (TOTM).
- Thermodynamic phase diagrams were established for the ECTFE/TEGDA: TOTM system.
- Membrane characterization included SEM, contact angle, mechanical testing, pore size, and porosity analysis.
- Water recovery performance was assessed in a membrane condenser (MC) setup.
Main Results:
- Successfully prepared ECTFE membranes with a cellular structure and good mechanical properties.
- Increasing TOTM content and decreasing cooling rate enhanced mean pore size.
- Higher pore size correlated with improved water recovery performance in the MC process.
- ECTFE membranes prepared with 20% TOTM achieved a condensation flow of 1.71 kg·m-2·h-1 and 54.84% water recovery, outperforming commercial PVDF membranes.
Conclusions:
- The TIPS method with TEGDA and TOTM is effective for producing ECTFE membranes for MC.
- Optimizing diluent composition and cooling rate allows tuning of membrane pore structure and performance.
- ECTFE membranes demonstrate significant potential for efficient water recovery in membrane condensation applications.
